Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his.

Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his.

Photo: Gabriel Cornejo

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Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his.

Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his.

Photo: Gabriel Cornejo

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Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his.

Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his.

Photo: Gabriel Cornejo

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Gabriel Cornejo, of Houston, is on the hook for $65,000 in child support for a child that's not his.

Gabriel Cornejo, of Houston, is on the hook for $65,000 in child support for a child that's not his.

Photo: Gabriel Cornejo

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Check out some of the nooks and crannies of the Texas justice system that have led to strange and landmark cases.

Check out some of the nooks and crannies of the Texas justice system that have led to strange and landmark cases.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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A verdict in San Antonio made waves when a man was acquitted of shooting at and indirectly killing an escort. When the woman refused to have sexual intercourse with him and drove off with $150, Ezekiel Gilbert shot at the car and ended up eventually killing her. According to Texas law “a person is justified in using deadly force against another to protect land, or tangible, movable property … to prevent the other’s imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime.” The jury determined that the escort had stolen Gilbert’s money, his actions were justified and he was set free. less

A verdict in San Antonio made waves when a man was acquitted of shooting at and indirectly killing an escort. When the woman refused to have sexual intercourse with him and drove off with $150, Ezekiel ... more

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In 2007, the “Castle Doctrine” for the state of Texas expanded, which allows for homeowners to shoot trespassers to their home, their vehicle or their workplace. The change also abolished the requirement to retreat under certain conditions. This new law was tested in 2008 with the trial of Joe Horn, who shot two burglars robbing his neighbors’ house. He was on the line with a 911 operator, who encouraged him not to go outside and shoot the pair. After tumultuous proceedings, a Texas grand jury found Horn's use of deadly force was reasonable. less

In 2007, the “Castle Doctrine” for the state of Texas expanded, which allows for homeowners to shoot trespassers to their home, their vehicle or their workplace. The change also abolished the requirement to ... more

Photo: TODD SPOTH, For The Chronicle

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Texas law classified homosexual behavior as a Class C misdemeanor until 2003,

when the U.S. Supreme Court struck dowl the law. Lawrence vs. Texas addressed a situation stumbled upon by police – a black man and a white man in the same apartment, who some of the police officers claimed were violating the Texas sodomy law. The case eventually resulted in a “not guilty” verdict, which removed a precedent which “demean(ed) the lives of homosexuals” according to the opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Found in the Texas Constitution under article one, section four:
"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being." less

Found in the Texas Constitution under article one, section four:
"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from ... more

Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, San Antonio Express-News

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Cheerleaders perform during the game between the Mississippi Rebels and the Missouri Tigers Feb. 9, 2013 in Columbia, Missouri.

In 2011, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case that originated in
Texas regarding a cheerleader who refused to cheer for her accused
rapist. The school, which was located in Silsbee, reprimanded the girl
and kicked her off the cheerleading squad after she stepped back and
crossed her arms during a cheer directed at her suspected assailant. The
girl filed a suit against the school, but the Fifth Court of Appeals
found “As a cheerleader, HS served as a
mouthpiece through which SISD (Silsbee Independent School District)
could disseminate speech – namely support for its athletic teams.”

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission went to court over the firing of a Houston woman who wanted to breast pump in the back of her workplace. Having been absent on pregnancy leave with no confirmed return date, Donnicia Venters received a letter dismissing her on the basis of job abandonment. Despite the conflicting perceived reasons for firing between defendant and prosecutor, the judge ruled in favor of the workplace, writing in the opinion that even if the business had fired Venters because of her request to breast pump “the law does not punish lactation discrimination” because it is not a related medical condition to pregnancy or childbirth. less

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission went to court over the firing of a Houston woman who wanted to breast pump in the back of her workplace. Having been absent on pregnancy leave with no confirmed ... more

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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A Fort Worth family found out courts can’t put a price on companionship when the Texas Supreme Court ruled against their request suing for emotional damages after the accidental death of their dog. The Medlens couldn't afford to retrieve their pup, Avery, from a local shelter, and when they returned a few days later, the dog had been accidently placed on the wrong list and euthanized. The Medlens received compensation for the market value of the dog, as Texas designates animals as property. However, the judge did not include sentimental value, writing in the opinion: “Under Texas common law, the human-animal bond, while undeniable, is uncompensable.” less

A Fort Worth family found out courts can’t put a price on companionship when the Texas Supreme Court ruled against their request suing for emotional damages after the accidental death of their dog. The ... more

Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News

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Who said writing opinions in legal cases should be boring? In his opinion for a 2013 San Antonio case regarding the city’s ordinance that dancers wear bikini tops while performing, Judge Fred Biery, made puns about the topic of the court case. The document, titled “"The Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Bikini Top v. the (More) Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Pastie," is chock full of one-liners, ending with a denial of the strip-club’s request to violate the law in order to allow their dancers to wear pasties. The first line reads “An ordinance dealing with semi-nude dancers has once again fallen into the Court’s lap.” less

Who said writing opinions in legal cases should be boring? In his opinion for a 2013 San Antonio case regarding the city’s ordinance that dancers wear bikini tops while performing, Judge Fred Biery, made puns ... more

Photo: COURTESY PHOTO

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Texas currently is awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on an affirmative action lawsuit filed against the University of Texas.

Abigail Fisher, who was denied admission to the college, claimed that she was racially discriminated against during the selection process, stating that other students with lower grades and fewer activities had been admitted because of their race. The case will set precedent on affirmative action in colleges. The long-awaited verdict should be issued soon.

Houston man paying child support for kid that's not his is walking to Austin to raise awareness

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The Houston man ordered to pay child support for a child that is not his is starting a 165-mile walk to Austin to raise awareness for his situation.

Gabriel Cornejo, 45, was ordered by a court to pay child support more than a decade ago for a baby his ex-girlfriend claimed was his. A DNA test proved otherwise, but according to Texas law, Cornejo is still responsible for roughly $65,000 in child support.

Cornejo must pay up because of Texas' family code, chapter 161, which states, even if you're not the biological father, you still owe child support that accrued before the DNA test proves you're not the father, Cornejo's lawyer Cheryl Coleman toldChron.com on July 23.

Today, Cornejo is married and has three children. He's chronicling his walk to Austin on Facebook.

"I'm just so proud of Gabriel standing up for what he believes in," Coleman told Chron.com Friday.

Cornejo began his walk from the Harris County Civil Court to the Texas State Capital today. If he walks it straight through, which is unlikely, it would take Cornejo 54 hours to complete, according to Google Maps.

Cornejo expects to be in Austin by Tuesday. He is due back in Harris County Civil Court Aug. 28.

A man in Texas is on the hook for $65,000 in back child support payments for a daughter who is not his own. According to Texas’ family code, payments accrued before a paternity test still must be paid.

Media: New York Post

"This is an epidemic affecting the USA, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. DNA is powerful enough to set a man free after being convicted for murder but not powerful enough to set you free from this trap," Cornejo told Chron.com Friday afternoon from the road.